Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1887-11-30


member of the familyl You viii have to
move, countess, to our hoteln
She was perfectly impenetrable to the ban
tering tone in which he spoke. YES" she
said, family, Il shall have to move to your
hotel Her hand was still on his arm; lie
could feel her shiverng from head to foot
while she spoke, Heartily as he drliked and
distrusted her. the common instinct of hui
mainly obliged him to ask il she felt cold.
''Yes," she said; ''cold and faint
"Cold and faint, countess, on such n night
as thisYH
"The night has nothing to do with it, Mr..
Westwick. How do you suppose the crimi-
nal feels on the scaffold while the hanglnan is
putting the rope round his necks Cold and
faint, too. should think. Excuse my grim
fancy. You see destiny has got the rope
round my ueck-and feel It."
She looked about her. They were at that
moment close to the famous cafe known as
"Floriansn take me in there she said
81 must have something to revive me- You
had better not hesitate You are interested |
in reviving me. | have not said what |
wanted to vet It's business, and it's con-
nected with your theatre"
Wondering iuwarily what she could pas
sibly want with his theatre, Francis reuc- /
family yielded to the necessities of the situa /
ton and took her into the cafe He found a
quiet corner in which they could take their |
places without attracting notice What |
will You hayes" he inquired, resignedly, She |
gave her own orders to the waiter, without /
troubling him to speak for her.
~Maraschino And pot of tea"
The waiter stared; Francis stared. The tea |
was a novelty lin connection with nlaras-
chino to both of them. Careless whether !
she surprised them or not, she instructed the |
waiter, when her instructions had been COM
piled with, to pour large wineglassful of the
liquor into tumbler and fill it up from the
teapot. a can't DO 1t for myself,a she re
marked, "my hand trembles So" She drank
the strange mixture eagerly, hot as it was.
"Maraschino punch-will you taste some of
it!' she said. Il inherit the discovery of this
drink. When your English queen, Carnline,
was on the continent my mother was attached
to her court That much injured royal per
son invented in her happier hours maraschino
punch. Fondly attached to her gracious mis-
tress, my mother shared her tastes. And /,
in my turn, learned from my mother. Now,
Mr.. Westwick, suppose | tell you what my
Do you want new playi'
Il always want new play-provided it's
good one.'
"And you pay, if it's a good 0ueir
81 pay liberaIly-in my own interests"
"if write play will YOU read it!'
Francis hestated.
what has put writing play into your
headF he asked
"Mere accident" she answered. Il had
once occasion to tell my late brother of a
visit paid to Miss Lockwood when was
last in England He took no interest in
what happened at the interview, but some
thing struck him in my way of relating it.
He said: You describe what passed between
| you and the lady with tue point and contrast
| ofgood stage dialogue. You have the dra-
matte instinct-try if you can write play.
| You might make money! That put it into
my head"
These last words seemed to stsrtle Francis.
"Surely, you don't want money! he ex-
claimed
Il always want money. NY tastes are eX-
| pensive have nothing but my poor little
| four hundred year-and the wreck that is
left of the other money, About 900 in cir
cular notes, no more"
Francis knew that she was referring to the
10000 paid by the insurance offices.
"All those thousands gone already" he ex-
claimed
She blew a puff of air over her fingers.
"Gone like thatl' she answered, coolly.
Baron ItivarT
She looked at him with a flash of anger in
her hard black eyes
Sly affairs are my own secret, Mr.. West
wick. l have made you propoSal-and you
hava not answered me yet. Don't say no,
without thinking first. Remember what
life mine has been. l have seen more of the
world than most people, pIaywrights in
ciu'ied. l have had strange adventures; [
have heard remarkable stories; | have oh
served; | have remembered. Are there no
materials here in my head for writing a play
if the opportunity is granted to meg She
waited moment and suddenly repeated her
strange question about Agnes. "Wheu is
Miss Lock wood expected to be in Venicein
What has that to do with your new play,
countessi"
The countess appeared to feel some diff
Guilty in giving the question its fit reply. She
mixed another tumblerful of the maraschino
punch and drank Que good half of it before
she spoke again.
at has everything to do with my new
play" was all she said Answer me-" Fran
els answered her.
miss lockwood may be here in a week.
Or, for all know to the contrary, sooner
than that"
"Very well. If l am living woman and a
free woman in a weeks time-or if am in
possession Of my senses in a weeks time
don't interrupt me; know what am talk.
ing about I shall go to England, and shall
write sketch or outline of my play as a
specimen Of what can do. Once again, Will
you read itm
Il will certainly read it. But, countess, I
don't understand
She held up her hand for silence, and fin
ished the second lumber of maraschiuo
punch.
Il am living enigma-and you want to
know the right reading of me,n she said.
Here is the reading, as your English phrase
goes, in nutshell There is foolish idea in
the minds Of many persons that the natives
Of the warm climates are imaginative people.
There never was a grea-er mistake. You
will find no such unimaginative people any.
where as you will find in Italy, Spain, Greece
and the other southern countries To any.
thing fanciful. to anything spiritual, theiI
minds are deaf and blind by nature Nov
and then in the course of centuries q grea,
genius springs up amongst them, and he i.
the exception which proves the rule Now
seel l, though l am no genius-i am, in ny
little way las | SUPPOSED an exception, too
. | To my sorrow, have some of that imagina
, ton which is 50 common among the English
and the Germans-so rare among the Italians
, the Spaniards and the rest OF theml AnC
what is the resultl I think it has become
: disease in me. | am filled with presentiment
! which make this wicked life of mine one Ion,
, terror to me. 1t doesn't matter just nov
what they are. Enough that they absolutely
govern me-they drive me over land and Sc,
at their own horrible viii; they are in me
and terturng me, at this momentl VIII,
don't resist themi Hal but | do resist them
! am trying with the help of the good punch
TO resist them now. At intervals cultivat
the difficult virtue OF sound sense Some
times sound sense makes a hopeful
woman Of me. At one time, I hai
the hope that what seemed reality :
me was only mad delusion, after all
even asked the question OF an Englis
doctorl At other times, other sensibl
doubts of myself beset me. Never min
dwelling on them now--it always ends in tn
old terrors and superstition taking possessio
of me again. In weeks time shall kno,
whether destiny does indeed decide my futur